tiistai 21. maaliskuuta 2017

Knall - Raubkatze Auf 12 Uhr

Tonzonen Records (TON 024)

I just got to know Knall last year when I reviewed their live album, but this German experimental band of guitar, bass, spacebass and drums has stayed together at least around 15 years by now. This pretty, pink marbled 2LP comes in cool psychedelic open gatefold cover and is limited to 500 copies, and not on CD at the moment, it seems. The band is labelled as space/kraut/psych/acid rock but they also have other dimensions like funk and ambient.

All the four sides of this new album include two instrumental jams and I think all of the music is totally improvised in the moment it was recorded. Sometimes the overall vibe is chilled out and peaceful like on beginning of the 11-minute opener "Raubkatze", but at times the band gets more intense and freak-out for a while as you will hear towards the end of the first track already. My favourite tracks include the hypnotic and upbeat "Derwisch" that keeps your mind spinning for over seven minutes. The longest piece is the 15-minute "Fell" that is a bit funkier, groovier piece. "Sightseeing" includes some of the most exciting and intense guitar work on the album. "Seaweed", on the other hand, is way more progressive and even a bit jazzy. "Catwalk" is a pretty weird number and the last piece "Lachs" has more cool psychedelic space effects as well as melody than some other tracks and is one of the highlights for me. This is experimental and weird stuff for sure but not really THAT psychedelic in my mind. The 2LP edition limited to 500 copies also includes a nice poster and sticker so go and get it!